England's Under-17 World Cup Journey: A Look Back at the Golden Generation
England's Under-17 World Cup campaign kicks off on Tuesday, marking eight years since a 'golden generation' of young talents made history.
Under the guidance of coach Steve Cooper, the Young Lions clinched the title with a squad filled with players who have since enjoyed successful careers and accumulated numerous senior caps.
In the final held in India, England triumphed over Spain with a 5-2 victory, featuring goals from Phil Foden, Morgan Gibbs-White, Marc Guehi, and Rhian Brewster, all of whom have gone on to play in the Premier League.
Throughout the tournament, the Young Lions also defeated Brazil, the United States, and Japan, securing England's first Under-17 World Cup trophy.
But what has become of those players since that memorable victory?
Where Are They Now?
TJ Eyoma
Former Club: Tottenham Hotspur
Current Club: Lommel
The defender made just one first-team appearance for Tottenham before transferring to Lincoln City in 2021, following a loan spell. After 148 games with the Imps and a year at Northampton Town, Eyoma joined Belgian side Lommel earlier this year.
Lewis Gibson
Former Club: Everton
Current Club: Preston North End
After loan spells with Fleetwood Town, Reading, Sheffield Wednesday, and Bristol Rovers, Gibson moved to Plymouth Argyle in 2023 without making a senior appearance for Everton. He switched from Plymouth to Championship side Preston North End earlier this year.
Conor Gallagher
Former Club: Chelsea
Current Club: Atletico Madrid
Gallagher made 95 appearances for Chelsea and spent 118 games on loan at Charlton Athletic, Swansea City, West Bromwich Albion, and Crystal Palace before joining Atletico Madrid in 2024. He has won the Europa League with Chelsea and was a runner-up at Euro 2024, earning 21 senior caps for England.
Angel Gomes
Former Club: Manchester United
Current Club: Marseille
A pivotal player in England's World Cup victory, Gomes made 10 senior appearances for Manchester United before moving to Lille in 2020. He currently plays for Marseille in France and earned four senior caps last year under interim England manager Lee Carsley.
Nya Kirby
Former Club: Crystal Palace
Current Club: Croydon Athletic
After one first-team appearance for Palace and loan spells at Blackpool and Tranmere Rovers, Kirby has been playing in non-league football since 2023. He began his lower league career at Oxford City before joining Croydon Athletic last year and also plays in the Baller League for SDS FC.
Josef Bursik
Former Club: Stoke City
Current Club: Portsmouth
The goalkeeper made 53 senior appearances for Stoke and had six loan stints before moving to Club Brugge in 2023. After a loan at Hibernian last year, Bursik returned to England this year to join Championship side Portsmouth.
Danny Namaso
Former Club: Reading
Current Club: Auxerre
Formerly known as Danny Loader, the striker made 35 appearances for Reading before moving to Porto in 2020. Namaso has played over 100 matches for Porto's first team and is currently on loan at Auxerre in France, having switched nationalities to Cameroon and earned five caps this year.
Emile Smith Rowe
Former Club: Arsenal
Current Club: Fulham
The midfielder played 115 times for Arsenal's first team and earned three caps for England before transferring to Fulham last year for an initial fee of £27 million. Smith Rowe has made 124 Premier League appearances and scored 19 top-flight goals.
Billy Crellin
Former Club: Fleetwood Town
Current Club: Glentoran
The goalkeeper made 13 appearances for Fleetwood and had loan spells at FC United of Manchester, Chorley, and Bolton Wanderers before joining Everton in 2022. Crellin left Everton earlier this year without making a first-team appearance after a loan with Accrington Stanley and recently signed with Northern Irish side Glentoran.
Jadon Sancho
Former Club: Borussia Dortmund
Current Club: Aston Villa
The winger missed the Under-17 World Cup final after being recalled by Dortmund, where he won the DFB Pokal before joining Manchester United in 2021. Sancho has since had loan spells with Dortmund, Chelsea, and Aston Villa, where he is currently playing. He has earned 23 caps for England but has not featured for the national team since 2021.
Steve Cooper (Head Coach)
Team Then: England Under-17
Current Team: Brondby
Cooper continued as head coach until 2019 before moving to Swansea City as first-team manager. He stayed in Wales until 2021, joining Nottingham Forest shortly after, where he led the team to the Premier League. He was dismissed in December 2023 while the club was 17th in the table, followed by a brief stint at Leicester City last year. He is now managing Danish club Brondby.
Senior England Caps
Out of the 21 players in that squad, eight have earned senior caps, including Guehi, Foden, Gibbs-White, Gomes, Sancho, Hudson-Odoi, Smith Rowe, and Gallagher, collectively amassing 131 caps.
Manchester City midfielder Foden holds the most caps with 45 and has participated in England's squads for the 2020 and 2024 European Championships as well as the 2022 World Cup.
Atletico Madrid's Gallagher has featured for the Three Lions in their last two major tournaments, accumulating 21 caps to date.
Aston Villa's Sancho has 23 caps and was part of England's squad during the 2020 Euros, where he missed a penalty in the shootout loss to Italy.
Crystal Palace captain Guehi played a crucial role in the Three Lions' journey to the Euros final last year and currently boasts 26 caps.
Gomes is the latest squad member to gain international recognition, having been called up by interim manager Lee Carsley following England's triumph at the 2023 Under-21 European Championship.
Coventry defender Latibeaudiere and Auxerre striker Namaso have also earned senior caps for Jamaica and Cameroon, respectively.
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